Message from the President

Hello again from the west coast. I would like to take this opportunity to talk a bit about sharing your professional skills and knowledge with students. I have been a clinical educator for the majority of my career as an audiologist and have learned a great deal from the students I have had the honour and privilege to work with. It is a thrill to meet former students at conferences, workshops ,and occasionally as co-workers after they have finished their studies and become practicing clinicians. I truly appreciate the occasional communique that comes my way letting me know where they are and what they are doing as the years pass.

What are some of the practical benefits of being a clinical educator? For a start you are providing the next generation of clinicians with your expertise and experience which in turn supports the future of the profession. While working with a student you are exposed to up to date knowledge and clinical ideas that are being taught at the university, which in turn assists you in becoming more reflective about your own practice. As well, clinical faculty appointments have benefits such as membership in the university library, and access to e-journals. You are developing leadership and teaching skills with the added bonus of recognition from your professional associations which acknowledge your participation as a clinical educator through the continuing education programs as student supervision credits. As well, there is always the possibility you may be instructing a future employee!

Some may be concerned that having a student may interfere with client service. I would argue having a student can actually enhance service provision. The client has the benefit of in-depth observation and discussion of their issues, and oftentimes clients appreciate the extra attention. Also, in some cases, having a second set of hands can help expedite service delivery. For example, you can do a listening check and maintenance of the client’s hearing aids together with you demonstrating the procedure with one as your student shadows with the other.

Resources are available to support you in your role as a clinical educator. Because of my affiliation with the University of British Columbia (UBC) and University of Western Ontario (UWO) I am most familiar with the resources they have for clinical educators. These resources are available to anyone. UBC’s support documents can be found at http://www.audiospeech.ubc.ca/our-people/clinical-faculty/clinical-educators/. UWO’s Preceptor Education Program (PEP) consists of learning modules for the student and clinical educator (aka Preceptor) http://www.preceptor.ca/enterModules.html. The PEP program includes learning activities and exercises, web links, and useful templates. These resources are available to support you in your current endeavour as a clinician educator or to give you more of an idea of the requirements and commitment that is required for this role.

You do not have to be in a central location to be a clinical educator and the time commitment is not extensive. Many students have access to travel funds or are willing to move to your location for the practicum experience. Programs will also accommodate co-educators if you cannot or would rather not have a student full time. Being a clinical educator has substantially contributed towards sustaining my career satisfaction. I encourage you to give it a try if you have never had a student and extend thanks and appreciation to those of you who are clinical educators.